“I believe that Thomas must have been abducted. He is my only child, my everything. I hope the police can take my opinion seriously.” After Helen Carter finished speaking, he went to the bedroom nearby.

Paul Bennett held his phone and glanced at the picture. “From the background of the photo, there aren’t any clues. It’s very hard to determine the hostage’s location.”

“Brian Hall, are you sure that the small feet in big shoes was done by Thomas Carter?” Emily Reed confirmed.

“I’m sure.”

“Could it be that someone took advantage of Thomas Carter’s longing for his mother, guided him to set up the kidnapping scene, and then tricked him away to carry out a real abduction?” David Thompson analyzed.

Paul Bennett nodded. “That possibility can’t be ruled out either.”

“Why don’t we stick to the original plan, and I’ll deliver the ransom tonight?” Emily Reed suggested.

“We all know that Thomas Carter misses his mother. There’s a good chance there are photos of his mom on Thomas Carter’s phone. Now that the kidnapper has Thomas Carter’s phone, they’ve probably seen his mother’s photo too,” Brian Hall said.

“Brian Hall is right. Taylor Square is very open all around. You can be seen from far away,” Paul Bennett also felt it wasn’t appropriate.

“Bang!” The bedroom door swung open.

Helen Carter rushed in. “Captain Bennett, I’ve gotten in touch with the child’s mother.”

“Where is she?”

“Yangcheng.”

Yangcheng is located in the southern coastal region of the country.

Paul Bennett frowned. “There are just over two hours left until the ransom exchange. She definitely can’t make it in time.”

“Can we ask the kidnapper to postpone the ransom exchange until tomorrow?”

“I’m just afraid it might provoke the kidnapper and put the hostage in danger.”

After a moment of silence, Brian Hall proposed, “I actually have an idea that could delay the ransom exchange and also help us determine the nature of this case.”

“What’s the idea?”

“We can send a message to the kidnapper, saying that Thomas Carter’s mother found out about this and rushed to Qindao City, but got into a car accident in her hurry and is now in the hospital emergency room.”

Emily Reed slapped his thigh. “That’s a good idea. Use an irresistible reason to delay the ransom exchange.”

“Will the kidnapper believe it?” Helen Carter was still a bit worried.

“Have the child’s mother go to a local hospital, get some blood, wrap a few bandages, and say she’s in the emergency room at Qindao City Hospital. Send a photo to the kidnapper—he won’t doubt it,” Brian Hall said.

“Good idea. If Thomas Carter staged this himself and hears the news, he’ll definitely rush to the hospital right away,” David Thompson said.

“If he doesn’t show up, it proves that Thomas Carter may have been abducted and is being controlled by someone behind the scenes. That would mean it’s a real kidnapping case,” Paul Bennett analyzed accordingly.

Emily Reed nodded. “Figuring out the nature of the case is still very important for rescuing the hostage.”

Helen Carter thought for a long time and also felt this was the safest approach.

……

A little after 7 p.m.

Qindao City Hospital.

A boy of about thirteen or fourteen rushed into the hospital.

The boy looked anxious and ran to the reception desk. “Nurse, I’m looking for someone.”

The nurse sized him up. “Little one, who are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for my mom.”

“What’s your mom’s name?”

“Wang Shan.”

“Wait a moment, I’ll check.” The nurse flipped through her notebook, and after a moment said, “Oh, this afternoon there was indeed a patient named Wang Shan. She was in a car accident and is getting a blood transfusion in the ward.”

“Which ward is my mom in?”

“What’s your name?”

“Thomas Carter.”

“Come on, I’ll take you.”

“Thank you, auntie.”

Led by the kind nurse, Thomas Carter was brought to a room on the second floor. He pushed open the ward door and hurried inside.

There were quite a few people sitting in the ward, but his mother was nowhere to be seen.

Helen Carter rushed over in a few quick steps. “Son, you had your dad worried sick.”

“Dad, where’s my mom? Where’s my mom!” Thomas Carter asked anxiously.

“Your mom’s fine. She’s out of town and can’t make it back.”

“Mom wasn’t in a car accident?”

“No, she’s still out of town.”

“You’re lying to me! I want to see my mom! I want my mom!” Thomas Carter started crying and shouting.

“That’s enough, stop yelling. This is a hospital. If you have something to say, say it back at the police station,” Emily Reed said sternly, his face dark.

“You’re police officers?” Thomas Carter looked up at the strangers around him.

“Thomas Carter, I know you miss your mom, but you can’t do things like this,” Emily Reed said sternly, scolding him:

“This is wasting police resources. While we were trying to rescue you, other cases were delayed, letting bad people get away and hurt more people.”

Thomas Carter bowed. “Uncles and aunties of the police, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I already told my dad not to call the police.”

“Helen Carter, as the father, you bear a lot of responsibility for this,” Paul Bennett grunted.

“I’m sorry, I was just too anxious.”

“It was right to call the police, but you shouldn’t have stopped your child from seeing his mother. I don’t want to see this kind of situation happen again,” Paul Bennett admonished.

“Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. I’ll definitely correct it in the future.”

“Let’s go, back to the station to make a statement.”

……

At the police station, after making their statements,

The Carter Father and Son still weren’t allowed to leave.